Speech delivered on 4 December, Government House. 

Welcome back to everybody who has been here many times, once, or twice, and welcome to those of you here for the very first time. I do, of course, want to acknowledge that this is Ngunnawal country, and I pay my respects to the traditional owners and their elders, past and present, and acknowledge anyone with First Nations history who’s joining us here today.

I’d also like to acknowledge Brigadier Chris Appleton CSC (Retd) president of Legacy Club Canberra. I’ve seen you, Chris, moving around the table just to welcome everybody. I know this is as important a day for you as it is for us here at Government House. So thank you very much for being here. You honour us with your presence and the work that Legacy Canberra does so well—not just for the women and families in this room, but for people across the country. It’s so important.

This afternoon, there are some special birthdays we need to celebrate. Margaret Constance, who is sitting at the table, celebrated her 97th birthday. She also had a strong relationship with Government House because her lovely son, Peter, worked here for a number of years in the Honours and Awards section. He’s not with us anymore, but we miss him, and I’ve already mentioned to Margaret what a wonderful contribution Peter made to the work of Government House.

Philippa Brennan and Mary Ward—you may not know that you share a birthday. Your birthday is on the 23rd of December. Philippa will be 81 and Mary will be 94—so close to Christmas that your gift-giving always sticks to the birthday present first! Happy birthday to you all. I’m sure there were other birthdays this year that have just passed or are yet to occur. For anyone who’s been celebrating birthdays and time passing and still doing so well—happy birthday. I’m glad we can gather today with lovely treats and celebrate you all.

I want to also acknowledge the legatees and the Legacy staff. And the extraordinary team here at Government House. There are so many here this afternoon, and that is about us caring deeply about you. Don’t be shy about asking questions about the house, the artifacts, and of course the food. Out in the kitchen, we have Jane Booth as our executive chef and the team who’ve been working hard to bring up the beautiful sweets. Jane Booth makes the best fudge ever.

Anthony Tennikoff has already been mentioned—he’s at the piano. He’s part of the RMC band, and we see a lot of Anthony for these occasions, but also as part of the RMC band, which I think plays the best national anthem. Because we are welcoming heads of state from other countries and credentialing those heads of state, the RMC band plays our anthem and those of other nations in a way that they haven’t heard played as well. He told you that you can ask for your own selection of music—do ask him! I do know that he has a particular interest in movie theme songs. His other area is ABBA.

I always wear a poppy for Legacy events, and I have a poppy on today. I get to choose from a wide range—the poppies you buy for Remembrance Day and Anzac Day, and a range of beautiful poppies I’ve bought at the Royal Australian Mint shop. There are some remarkably beautiful ones, but the ones I like most are those that are crafted and sent to me or gifted to me—often by women, often by veterans or veterans’ family members. Sometimes men crochet or knit things too. The white poppy represents the families of veterans and peace, and I’m wearing it today because I love wearing those that are made for me.

Last year, at Remembrance Day, I wore a large crochet poppy. It was glorious. Some commentators thought it was far too big, but I loved it because it was given to me by Julie Dakin, the mother of Chief Petty Officer Andrew Dakin, who is our photographer. Julie made me the most beautiful crochet poppies, which I wear from time to time. I was also given a series of hand-knitted poppies on the end of knitting needles to plant in the beach at Anzac Cove when we travelled to Turkey this year. I received many of those lovely gifts—I’m always grateful. So much care goes on behind the scenes, and I see that in the poppies.

I’m very proud to be patron of Legacy. As I said in Legacy Week in September, I deeply appreciate the extraordinary, remarkable care that Legacy provides for families of people who have so faithfully served in our nation’s defence and held the peace for all of us. This care has been present in our community for over 100 years now—always steadfast, always generous and kind, always making a difference to thousands of families: to you, to the wives and widows, to the children, to the broader family members, to the communities that you’re part of. There’s always a Legacy story—a Legacy member ready to put out a helping hand. Some of them are here today, and you know so many of them.

Not only as your patron, but as you know, I’m also Commander-in-Chief. I’m also the daughter of a veteran. My father served in the Royal Corps of Signals in the Army for almost 40 years. He’s still alive—he’s a sprightly 91-year-old—and I’ve always had profound respect for service. I’m the first Governor-General to be born in Canberra, and possibly the first Governor-General who was an “Army brat.” We got to experience the Defence Force in a different way. My mum, who passed a few years ago, always talked about the fact that she was a civilian worker in our family who should have been paid by Defence because she kept the family together. Whenever Dad was away on deployment or we were moving, she had to pack four kids up to move. She was in the service of our country too. I think about that a lot with many of you, too—as wives who served, but often we don’t say thank you.

My dad lives around the corner in Deakin, and while he’s very proud of me being Governor-General, he’s still coming to terms with a woman as Commander-in-Chief. He graduated in 1955 and still says, “I just can’t imagine serving alongside a woman in combat—I’d need to take care of her.” That’s a view that has held fast for him, but I know so many senior women in the military now who have shown that’s not something to worry about. My dad remains a bit of a touchstone, so I’m still helping him adjust.

I was at Gallipoli this year—very proud to deliver my Anzac Day address on the 110th anniversary of the landings at Anzac Cove. It was a very special moment. The day before, Simeon was with me, with my aide-de-camp, Captain Katie. She’s been with us almost a year and has now been posted as commanding officer of the Torres Strait and Cape York. She’s the first woman to take on that role, promoted to major, and the youngest person to hold that post. I’m very proud of her.

When we were at Gallipoli, we followed a tradition often done—dipping medals into the waters of Anzac Cove. Katie dipped her medals, and I sat there with my feet freezing cold in the water, trying to recall what it must have been like to arrive there 110 years ago. Of course, it’s unimaginable, but it was a very special moment.

Whether I’m commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific at the Royal Australian Mint, or meeting the family of Private Richard Norden—you may have heard of him. He died many years ago, but we were proud to present his family with his posthumous Victoria Cross for Australia in Rockhampton. For his extreme bravery in Vietnam, he was awarded the Victoria Cross at age 21. After his time in Vietnam, he came to Canberra with his wife and had two little boys. Tragically, he died in a traffic incident at age 24 while serving in the AFP motorcycle squad. A terrible story—having come back from Vietnam a hero and raising his family here.

When we told the family about the Victoria Cross, his wife said, “We’re not going to Canberra for that—it’s too much trouble.” So we took the Victoria Cross to Rockhampton. Hundreds of people came, including his AFP friends. They also awarded him a posthumous police medal. These are the days I treasure.

I’ve been to the Veterans and Families Centre in Burnie, Tasmania. I’ve spent time with Annabelle Wilson, the new veteran family advocate—an extraordinary young woman whose life was changed by Legacy. It was wonderful most recently, here at our Open Day, to have Legacy as one of our celebrated patronages out on the lawns for people to learn more about Legacy.

Wherever I see Legacy, wherever I see service, I see the courage and generosity of the veteran community and all of you—the way you care for each other and continue to do that through events like this.

When I was sworn in as Governor-General about 16 months ago, I committed to putting care, kindness, and respect at the centre of everything I do. That continues to drive the program and everything we do. Care is the force that binds us—it’s not soft, it’s not feminine, but it’s often women doing that work, often unacknowledged. Today is a small way, along with Legacy, to say we see you and the care you’ve always given and continue to give each other.

Legacy cares for more than 30,000 people across our country, including bereaved partners, children, young people, and people with disabilities who are dependents of veterans. For all of you here today, I know Legacy has had a profound and enduring impact on your life. I’m glad Australians can support the work of Legacy more and more as a reflection of our gratitude for those who have served and those who care for them.

Before I close, I thought I’d share a nice story. Most recently, Simeon and I did state visits to Japan, Vietnam, and Mongolia. Mongolia was one we weren’t quite sure about, but it’s an exceptionally beautiful place with a strong history with Australia. Over 35 years ago, Australia created the Australia Awards for Mongolian students to study here. Today, there are over 200 alumni in Mongolia, many in leadership roles. They see Australia as one of the strongest democracies in the world.

The President of Mongolia had heard that I love wattle, and his gift to me was a beautiful brooch made by a Mongolian jeweller in jade, gold, and pearls. I often wear it on important days. These are the things that happen all the time—people around the world telling us we should be proud of what we’ve done. Wherever I go, I visit Commonwealth War Graves and pay respect to those who didn’t come back. Since 1947, Australia is the only country in the world that has had someone in a peacekeeping mission every single day. An extraordinary story about care for peace.

Please enjoy the afternoon. Make yourself at home. We should have lots of photos together. Happy Christmas—I hope you have a lovely time ahead with family and friends here in Canberra or wherever you might be traveling. I can’t wait to come back again and again. Thank you for coming today.